Fansided

Fantasy football impact: Recent trends and stories to know

By Matthew Catalano

FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 2: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins against the New England Patriots during third quarter action at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Dec. 02, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 2: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins against the New England Patriots during third quarter action at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Dec. 02, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 15: Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 15: Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

#FreeMattBreida

Last year I was extremely high on Packers’ running back Aaron Jones, but his production wasn’t that impressive during the first half of the regular season because of the committee system going on in Green Bay. Finally after about Week 10, we saw Jones’ opportunity share increase and he was RB11 in that span.

All season long I was saying to free Aaron Jones, and when he finally broke away, he performed as expected. Well, the same goes for Matt Breida in that crowded 49ers’ backfield this year.

With Jerick McKinnon missing another season and Tevin Coleman expected to miss some time because of an ankle injury, it’s time for Breida to shine once again.

The only problem is the 49ers are using him in a timeshare with Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. While Mostert and Wilson are skilled and good for the team, I still feel Breida is the best candidate to carry the bulk of the workload.

He’s currently only averaging about 13 carries per game which isn’t good from a volume perspective. Even with that limited number of carries, Breida still has made the most of it. If we are to look back at Week 2 when San Francisco hosted the Bengals, Breida ran wild for 121 yards on just 12 carries. He finished the day as RB16 but left fantasy managers wanting more because of the lack of usage.

For an undrafted player, Breida is extremely talented and has turned a lot of heads since entering the league last year. He also has a fairly easy schedule in terms of run defenses he will be going up against for the remainder of the season. Breida is slated to take on teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, Carolina, Green Bay, New Orleans, and Atlanta who are all in the top 15 for most rushing yards allowed to runners this season.

Of course this is a small sample size, but we saw what Breida was capable of last year and he’s doing it again to prove to us that his rookie campaign wasn’t just a fluke.

Injuries are just the main concern as it pertains for Breida. He has dealt with some throughout his young career a little more than we would like, but his upside outweighs the cons. #FreeMattBreida.

Home/Fantasy Football